Gadget Hall of Fame: Apple QuickTake 100

The Apple QuickTake 100 story

There was a time when everything Apple touched didn’t turn to gold (or an aluminium monobloc). In fact, in the early ’90s Apple was a bona fide underdog.

In an effort to stake a claim outside of its battle with Microsoft, Cupertino’s favourite multi-national turned to cameras. The Kodak-made QuickTake 100 was the result.

Why should I want one?

Er, you probably won’t. Put it this way, swapping your smartphone snapper for a second-hand QuickTake is like ditching your iPhone for two paper cups connected by string.

With 1MB of memory the 100 could only store eight photos (!) at its maximum resolution (640×480), and there wasn’t even a screen to review them. Madness.

You won’t find focus or zoom controls either. Anyone surfing eBay for an Apple snapper will be doing it purely as an act of gadget archaeology. It’ll look just dandy in your display cabinet, next to the Macintosh SE and your bust of Steve Jobs, though.

[Image source: computers.popcorn.cx]

What should I look for?

Most QuickTakes for sale are in America but you can have one shipped over if you’re willing to pay a little extra. Be warned though – you’ll have problems getting your terrible photos off the camera

You’ll need an OS7, 8 or 9 Mac (not OS X) and an RS-232 cable to connect them up. If you get that far you can download a PDF of the original manual right here.

Also in 1994…

Kurt Cobain commits suicide; South Africa ends apartheid; OJ Simpson goes on the run… and all this arrived:

Music: Blur – Parklife

Before they started making cartoon music, cheese, political manifestos and shouty pop-punk records, Blur inadvertently invented Britpop. Parklife is its masterpiece. Don’t let any Oasis fans tell you otherwise.

Film: Speed

With a crazy ex-cop, a ticking bomb and a modern day damsel in distress in the shape of Sandra Bullock, Speed had all the hallmarks of a classic action movie, including Keanu Reeves’ confused face and wooden acting.

TV: Ready Steady Cook

Fern Britton and Ready Steady Cook gave cooking a competitive edge, teaching hungry, work-shy students, the unemployed and death-dodging OAPs how to make dinner from one sausage, a guava and a bag of lentils.

Gadget: Motorola DynaTAC Ultra Classic II

Known as the “Zack Morris phone” due to its appearance in the hand of Saved By the Bell’s principal wheeler- dealer, Moto’s bag-busting DynaTAC was the must-have yuppie accessory.

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.